Red Butte Garden

Field Trip Time -- I think so many classes go on field trips in the Spring because the teachers need a break from the regular school day.

I got the privilege of joining John's First Grade class on a field trip to Red Butte Garden. In the 26 years I've lived in Utah I've never gone, so I was excited to see what they were all about.  Mark wanted me to go as a spy for Thanksgiving Point!  I didn't even know where they were located except in Salt Lake.

They rented a school bus so they didn't have to get as many drivers and chaperons to go. John was so excited to ride the bus until he got on with the other two first grade classes. He wanted to know why they would not be quiet.  So he and I hooked up the ear phones and listen to music to block out some of the noise.

We first stopped at This is the Place to eat our lunches.  It was a little chilly but the kids loved getting out to stretch their legs. We then hopped back on the bus for a short ride to the Garden.

Instructions are always important for first graders! They got the rules and regulations and then we were divided into smaller groups with a tour guide.

Mr. Mark took this cute group of kids around.  And we were lucky enough to get John's teacher in our group. He has loved Ms. Reyes-Cairo this year.

It was worth the trip just to see this view of the valley.  It was a beautiful spring day and you could see across the entire valley.  We learned a lot about plants and roots. Red Butte is on the side of the mountain so it was a lot of up and down hiking.  It was more natural landscaping than Thanksgiving Point has. Of course Thanksgiving Point will always be our first love since it does provide the monthly paycheck ;)

It ended all too soon and we were back on the bus to head back home.  The noise level did not go down much for the ride home.  But I did catch a few kids asleep by the time we got back to the school.

Spring Break

This year for Spring Break we hung around town.

We planned a few things throughout the week.

The weather did not cooperate very well but we survived.

Monday we enjoyed the dollar movie and seeing The Spy Next Door

Also had fun Monday night swimming at the Rec Center

The children especially loved Clean The House Tuesday . . . NOT!

But I enjoyed a clean house the rest of the week.

Wednesday was errand day.  It is so nice having kids old enough that I don't have to take them on every errand I run these days!

And Thursday the sun finally came out and we got to play at Thanksgiving Point.

We met my sister and her kids and wandered through the Gardens.

We were hoping to see some tulips but there were not many out.

This was the most we saw in one spot.  But rumor has it they have lots more flowers out now, so be sure and stop by for Tulip Festival that runs through May 1st.

Check it out for yourself on the Web Cam!

Can you spot the Owl nesting in the Water Fountain?

Can you find the Owl now??

How about now??

Isn't that amazing how she blends in.

She has been there for several weeks now.  And rumor has it there is a He Owl that visits as well.

Here is proof I was really with my children that day.

After the Thanksgiving Point Gardens we moved onto the Children's Gardens so the kids could get some more exercise and exploring done.

And then we wandered to Farm Country for a Wagon Ride.

After 4 hours in the sun me and all my children got sunburned, oops!

By then Dad was off work and we piled in the car and drove to Salt Lake

To visit the now famous Little Chocolatiers' Hatch Family Chocolate Shop

And they did not disappoint.  Hand made, hand dipped chocolates -- YUM!!!

And the kids loved going someplace they had seen on TV!

And really loved dessert before dinner!

It was nice not having to get up early and get the kids out the door for the week.

Really nice not having to do homework every night.

But I did not shed a tear when they returned to school the next week!

How long is Summer Break??????

School Programs

You can tell it is getting to be close to the end of the school year.

We are starting to have lots of programs to attend

Jessica and Ashley finished up their ballroom classes.

Here they are with the group trophies they earned this year.

The second year group did a really fun 50s number 

And here are all the first and second year students after doing a wonderful performance. 

I think Jessica was excited/embarrassed that her beehive class came to see her.

She had a great cheering section!

And we've attended the 6th grade play.  This year they did Pinocchio and Jessica was a puppet master!

Easter 2010

Our Russian Easter Eggs!

Easter began with of course dying eggs.

But this year we had the privilege of using Russian Egg Dying Kit!

A friend returned from a trip to Russia right before Easter and brought us back this fun kit.

They were vibrant and colorful.

Then of course we had a Family Easter Party with Mark's Family.

But I did not make a single Deviled Egg this year, shocker!

Somehow we always gather around the food!

We are running out of small kids to go egg hunting.
Ashley and Jacee were the oldest!
Jessica opted out this year.  She can't be that old!

John did manage to fill his basket!

It was wonderful to have General Conference the same weekend as Easter this year.
It really reminded us the reason we celebrate Easter.
Not just for the eggs and candy.  It is to remember our Savior.

March Recap

March has come and gone, but it was a busy month.  We are lucky to live so close to Brigham Young University.  The girls got to compete at the National DanceSport event.

It was Ashley's first time and Jessica's second time competing at this event.  They both did a fabulous job!  Ashley's team received bronze ribbons and were the top bronze 1st level team.  Jessica's team received silver ribbons.

We found them new dance skirts and the loved them because they twirl so much.

I got the chance to go to Pennsylvania for the first time and hang out with some Amazing Pampered Chef Directors.  Here I am with Robin, Cynthia & Shelly.  It was a quick trip but I got some fabulous training.

We didn't have much time for sight seeing, but one night we did make it over to Valley Forge before it got too dark.  It is always humbling to be at history sites like this one.

And the month ended with the most important celebration of the month -- Ashley's Birthday.  She graduated to two digits and is now 10!

She is so hip she didn't want a cake, she wanted cupcakes at her party.  Luckily Pampered Chef just came out with the perfect stand to display them with!

All the girls at the party managed to find the apple tree.  And this was its last official picture.  It was removed from the backyard about a week after this was taken.  No more diseased apples to pick up this summer!

The girls had fun decorating cupcakes themselves.  There was a contest in the end to see who could get the most frosting on her cupcake, yikes.

Ashley is our social butterfly and she loved having all her friends over.  We Love You Ashley!

Valentine's Weekend

Valentine's 2010 was a fun weekend.  It began early in the week as the kids made mail boxes for school

Doesn't he look sweet!  He was very focused on his box.

This was probably her last year of making one.

And she was very proud of her creation.

Valentine's was on a Sunday and the kids had the Friday before and the Monday after off from school.  PARTY!!!  So we headed up the canyon to a cabin above Sundance.

There was plenty of snow.  We had Brent's two girls along with Kim and Tom and their kids and my Mom along for the ride.

The kids spent hours sledding out back.  As usual we had plenty of food to enjoy.

We even had the famous triple layer cake in the shape of a heart for the occasion.

I love this fireplace.  We had it going the entire long weekend.

And my hubby brought these up to make me smile.  They were the perfect centerpiece for the weekend.

To say fun was had by all would be an understatement!

Quilting

Okay, for anyone who knows me really well, you are probably questioning the title of this post.  Even though my sisters and mom are expert seamstresses, I never enjoyed sewing as much as them.  I know how to sew and I can do it when needed, but it is not something I do just for fun.  My mom has really gotten into quilting the last few years and has made some beautiful items.  So maybe I was just feeling left out.  But when someone in our neighborhood offered a quilting class I decided maybe I should try it.  I thought it was a good opportunity to learn from a professional and learn with friends at the same time.  I'm proud to say I have successfully completed two blocks so far!

And I think they have turned out pretty good.  I'm not convinced I'll become an expert quilter like several people I know are, but I'm excited to see how it will all turn out in the end.

Field Trip

Jessica has been looking forward all year to this field trip.  Every year the sixth graders go tour the State Capitol while the legislature is in session.  Both Mark and I wanted to go too, so we both went as chaperons.  Because the kids go to a Charter School they normally need a ton of chaperons to help drive and supervise.  But for the first time ever they rented a charter bus so they would not need as many drivers.  There were 55 sixth graders and about 10 parents and teachers on an old school bus.  It has been a long time since either Mark or I have been on a school bus.  The noise level was out of control!  But it was a lot of fun.

The weather was great and we had a wonderful view of the capitol as we came up.

We first met in a small area on the first floor and met with Representative Brad Daw who fielded highly intelligent questions from the sixth graders.

We then broke into smaller groups and went and sat in on the House and the Senate as they debated some bills.  Then each group broke off and toured the Capitol building.

What an amazingly beautiful building

And the grounds were just as beautiful.  Especially with these cute girls touring around.

And we didn't even know there is a Vietnam Memorial at our Capitol.

After our tours the excitement really began.  The Governor's nephew is in Jessica's class, so his mom made special arrangements for our kids to have a private meeting with Governor Herbert.

And Representative Daw joined him as well.  Again the sixth graders had not so intelligent questions, but he was very kind to answer them all.  Even stood for a picture with all of them.

And we met him in the Gold Room.  It was beautifully decorated.

And if that wasn't enough excitement for the day we then got to go over to the Governor's Mansion and his wife gave us a private tour of the building.

 It was fun hearing all the stories about this amazing building.  The kids especially liked all the ghost stories she shared after a little begging.

So after a very full day we all got ready to board the bus only to find out it would not start.  We had to wait for a replacement bus to arrive which took about 45 minutes.  Thank goodness it was good weather so the kids could be outside.  We got back to the school about 30 minutes after school got out, but I don't think any of the kids cared.